Open newer After Effects files in older versions
Drop a project or preset saved in a newer After Effects, pick the version you have and download a copy it opens. Your files never leave your computer.
Drop files here, or choose them
Projects and presets from After Effects CC 2018 to 2025 and later. Several at once is fine.
How it works
After Effects stamps every file with a format version and won’t open one newer than its own. The converter rewrites that stamp, and the one part of projects whose layout changed since.
Drop your files
Any mix of
.aepprojects and.ffxpresets. Each one shows the version that saved it and the effects it uses.Pick your version
Choose the After Effects you’ll open them in. Files it can open already are left alone.
Download
One file, or all of them in a zip. The originals are untouched, so keep them for the newer version.
The bytes that change
The start of a project. After Effects reads the format first; a newer one than its own is refused with “created with a newer version”.
Common questions
Are my files uploaded?
No. This page reads and rewrites them on your computer, and the download comes from your own browser. Once it’s loaded it works offline.
What changes in the file?
The version stamp at the start. Projects going back before 2023 also lose 4 bytes per layer that 2023 added for track mattes. Every other byte stays the same.
Will everything work?
Anything your version doesn’t have can’t come along: effects added since show as missing, and plugins have to be installed there too. Each file lists its effects so you can check first.
Which versions?
Projects and presets from After Effects CC 2018 to 2025 and later, back to any version down to CC 2018. Files from CC 2017 or older open everywhere already.